Cankut's Blog

When to raise money from a strategic investor

As a startup, there are two benefits of raising money from a strategic investor.

First, the strategic support provided by the investor can provide value beyond what a financial investor can provide. For example, this may come in the form of new customers, new suppliers, a distribution channel, technology, or a reduced cost base.

Second, a strategic investor can turn into a strategic buyer at the time of exit.

There are also two downsides to raising money from a strategic investor.

The first is that the strategic investor can, either through their investment rights or through persuasion, pull your startup in a direction that makes sense for the interests of the strategic but not necessarily for your startup. This goes beyond the different perspectives that founders and all investors, including financial investors, can have about the best direction for the company to achieve its goal of maximizing long-term shareholder value.

The second is that the presence of the strategic investor and the fact that it is often a likely buyer of the company has the potential to limit other exit options for the company. As a result of the restricted exit options, financial investors are often less willing to invest in the company.

When you’re an early stage company, you have yet to exhaust the many ways in which you can create value. You’re also far removed from an exit. As a result, the costs of raising money from a strategic investor outweigh the benefits. If you have other options, you should avoid raising money from a strategic investor.

When you’re a late stage company, a strategic investor can provide new value in an environment where you’ve exhausted many of the easy ways to create value. You also start to think about an eventual exit. The benefits of raising money from a strategic investor might begin to outweigh the costs, so you will want to think about doing so.